Celtic are going to in the league and I think they are going to win the treble. I’ve not said that before with as much conviction but I truly believe it now. I really think they can do it, and I think they can do it without Steven Gerrard.

Nobody is disputing the quality of the former Liverpool captain, but I would tend to think that the type of player Brendan Rodgers is looking to bring into Celtic would be someone for next season with an eye to progressing in the Champions League.

Now don’t get me wrong, Gerrard has been a phenomenal player throughout his career, but he has been playing in a league where the intensity of the game isn’t so great. He’s also getting on in years.

Read more: Moussa Dembele keeping Celtic on the map, says Brendan Rodgers

The question that I would be asking is that if the introduction of Steven Gerrard is going to make any difference to the trophies that Celtic will win this season? In my opinion, I don’t think so.

Would it be great to see him in a Celtic jersey? From a certain point of view, yes it would, but in the long term I don’t see any value in it.

If they had been able to sign him at the start of the season like he was able to with Kolo Toure then it might have been different, but I don’t think that Celtic will sign Gerrard and I don’t think he is the player they need.

I think he will be looking for someone in that area with a view for the next couple of years, rather than someone like Gerrard, who for all the respect he deserves for a wonderful career, would be a short-term signing.

It was interesting though to hear Brendan Rodgers talking about possibly strengthening the Celtic squad in January, and I think that is the correct approach with an eye on the future.

Now is the time to be looking to strengthen the squad for next season, and it wouldn’t be the worst idea to try and get players in during January that they can bed in during the second half of the campaign for the long-term.

From a Champions League perspective I think there are areas that Celtic could do with strengthening.

They need two central midfield players, an authoritative one and a creative one, and another striker. These are the three key areas that they have to address to move onto the next level.

Celtic have proven with Moussa Dembele and Scott Sinclair that they are prepared to push the boat out a bit, and I think they will do the same for those positions.

I’m jumping ahead here, but I’m sure that Brendan Rodgers has an eye on next season already too because he will want to make sure they are prepared to compete even better in next year’s Champions League.

The board will have to continue to back him and be flexible with the purse strings to continue to move the club forward.

Read more: Moussa Dembele keeping Celtic on the map, says Brendan Rodgers

They proved first of all by bringing in Brendan Rodgers that they are prepared to do that, so I think in their position and under the guidance of the manager, there is less chance of an investment they are making not working than perhaps there was previously.

And to give the board due credit, I think they will back the manager. It is a real vindication of their investment in the manager and the squad so far that the club’s annual general meeting was such a jovial affair during the week.

I’m a great believer that club AGM’s go well when the team are doing well. There may be some issues, but everything tends to be magnified when the team aren’t doing so well and then they become minor when things are going swimmingly on the football side.

Part of the reason that everything is good on the park at the moment though is precisely because of what Celtic do off the park though.

In football you try to get things right, but it doesn’t always work out that way. The board have got it right this time with the appointment of Brendan Rodgers, and you would have to say that unfortunately it probably didn’t work out under Ronny Deila.

Success isn’t always guaranteed in football, but I think the Celtic board have done well to look at the past and learn from the mistakes they might have made.

The decision made by the Celtic board to bring Brendan in, which probably came more from Dermot Desmond than anyone, was a direct result I believe of the Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Rangers last season.

It’s pretty apparent with the way that the team is playing that the appointment is working out well.

As a club, Celtic has been well-managed off the park for a number of years now. Ok, sometimes that isn’t always reflected on the park and there have been one or two non-football issues too, but for the most part under Peter Lawwell the club has been steered in the right direction.

Read more: Moussa Dembele keeping Celtic on the map, says Brendan Rodgers

That’s maybe not always been apparent on the field, but on the whole, the calibre of the people who work behind the scenes at Celtic Park is second to none in my opinion. And that’s not because they made me an ambassador by the way!